Common Sense Political Ramblings

07 November 2012

Needs To Be Said...

Over the last year, in my political discussions with people, I've been making some points that I think need to be
reiterated because I was proven right last night. I don't know what all
of you saw, but I saw a center right weakling without a spine or any
core beliefs spend a billion dollars to lose to arguably one of the
worst presidents this country has elected to endure.

While Romney looks the part of a strong leader in a still photograph, if
you really watch him, he is weak. He does not project strength in
leadership, opinion, or determination. He projects sensitivity and
weakness. That is not strong leadership. That is the result of too
many focus groups and an attempt to appeal to liberal women.

Obama speaks in a way that makes people to want to listen to what he has to say. Romney speaks
in a way that makes you want to roll your eyes and change the channel.
From his goofy grin while listening to Obama during the debates, to
tilting his head to one side or the other while speaking to a crowd, he
looks soft and weak.

That will not inspire people to follow him. I think that is evident with the results last night.

Romney got 50% of the vote because people felt they had no other choice.
I can almost guarantee you, 75% of the vote he got were votes against
Obama, not votes FOR him. This is the result of his projected weakness.

Agree or disagree with any of that? Doesn't matter. That's the past. Now I will get to the future.

This country was founded on rugged individualism drenched in a quest for
liberty, not sensitivity drenched in a quest for help. We need to get
back to strength. Strength of character born through struggle and hard
work.

We cannot expect to win on a national level with a platform of offering a
sensitive ear to those in need of help. Americans want to work. They
want to succeed. They want strong leadership. We were born through
rebellion, not respectful dialogue with a non-threatening tone. Born
through conflict and guts, not group hugs and therapy sessions. Our
chosen leadership should reflect that history.

We need an individual. One not afraid to get pissed off. One that
speaks with conviction based in their core beliefs of honor, strength
and patriotism. He's needs to have intellect and history; A history of
struggle. Someone who maybe put themselves through college, worked
summers on a farm maybe. Someone who had to deal with the problems that
every day Americans have. Someone that had to drive a 10 year old car,
always wondering if it would start on a winter morning. Someone that
had to have a few Ramen Noodle dinners while struggling to pay the
bills.

But most of all, he's gotta get away from the idea that government is
the solution to the human condition. He needs to inspire people to want
to do better for themselves rather than look to him to provide them
with a job, a phone, and a car. He's got to be able to show, through
his own back story, that they too can lift themselves up.

I think whomever this person is, they need to get away from this social
authoritarian agenda with the opposition to gay marriage and abortion.
Abortion is never going to go away. It's just not. We had the most
Evangelical President in the last century with control of both the House
and the Senate and it didn't go away. Speak against that personal
choice, but don't make it a cornerstone of the platform. If we're going
to compete with the hard left shift this country is taken, that is one
thing that is going to have to change in the Republican Party. This
notion that Government should be telling Free People how to live their
lives.

I think whomever this person is, they're going to need to recognize that
people should be Free to marry whomever they choose. Homosexuality is a
reality in this world. These people exist. We can't keep wishing
they'd just go away and be quiet. They're not going to. And they
shouldn't have to. Republicans need to come to that realization and the
leadership needs to lead them to that realization. We cannot win if we
insist on excluding people. We need people. And across the board,
people are more and more accepting of homosexuality. If we exclude
those that accept it, we're cutting our own throats. We need to realize
that within the broad blanket of Freedom, we have to be able to share
the warmth of that blanket with those we don't necessarily agree with.
That's just a modern reality.

I think whomever this person is, they need to they need to stop catering
to the rich. Instead, they need to focus on inspiring others to
create their own wealth. Focus on the idea that wealth is truly the
only cure for poverty. Convey the message that we can all succeed on
our own terms if we dedicate ourselves to it. Constantly harping on
tax cuts for those that have already done it does not inspire people.
It just creates and expectation of help from big Government.

Government should not be telling people how to live their lives. That
is a core conservative belief that will always remain popular. Part of
the problem with the Republican Party is, that's exactly what they want
to do. They want to tell you how to live your life and America is rejecting it more and more.

05 November 2012

5 Minutes for 5%

I
know this is the last thing you want to read tonight, but I'm asking
you to take a moment and hear me out. Five minutes for 5%.

With the campaign all but complete, it's time to make a decision. I
made my decision months ago, and I'd like you to consider that decision.

For decades we as citizens of the greatest nation in the
history of man, where choice has a history of abundance, we've been very
limited in our choices for leadership. I honestly believe that has
never been more evident than in this election.

To me this election, more than any before it demonstrates there are
fewer and fewer differences between the two major parties. From
healthcare, to foreign policy, to domestic spending, the records of the
two major candidates demonstrate more similarities than differences,
despite the bitter tone this campaign has taken. And frankly,
everything these two parties have done over the last two decades has
given us trillions in debt, multiple wars, less freedom than we've ever
known, and a government that is forever expanding into our daily lives.
And if you've been paying attention, aside from patriotic lip service,
neither party has really focused on Freedom. And that, I cannot abide.

This election, I'm using my vote in an effort to expand
future leadership choices of the American People. I am voting for the
former Governor of New Mexico and Libertarian Party Candidate Gary
Johnson. I realize he has no chance of winning. But if he can muster
5% of the popular vote, we can start the path to having a real choice in
2016.

So I'm asking you to consider a vote for Gary Johnson.
A fiscally conservative, socially liberal candidate that believes in
Freedom, first and foremost. His record as governor was stellar,
vetoing some 750 spending bills in 8 years, one third of those coming
from his own party. He balanced their budget, actually reduced the size
of state government, and left the state in far better shape than when
he found it. His character is above reproach and he has the ability to
work with both sides to get things done. He has proven it while
Governor. His ability to say No to his own party is unprecedented in
modern government. And that is exactly what we need at this moment in
time. The ability to say No. No to big party politics and overzealous
special interests.

All we need is 5%. If you're in a locked
up state, why not use your vote to contribute to possibility? Why not
use your voice in a way that may actually be heard? We're not going to
decide this election, but we can have a real impact on the next one.
And that is how we actually bring about change. And that is exactly
what we need. Actual change, not just a campaign slogan.

Thank you for your time.

06 June 2012

How They "Created Millions" of Green Jobs...

Yet another reason why government makes me crazy...

The Obama administration on Wednesday acknowledged a wide-ranging definition of “green jobs” that includes bus driver, bicycle-shop clerk and other unexpected lines of employment, which the chairman of the GOP-led House oversight committee said is being done for “clearly political purposes.”

Issa suggested the administration is reclassifying such jobs to prove that billions of taxpayer dollars, through the federal stimulus program, have created green, or environmentally-focused jobs – a major initiative for President Obama.

“It’s about politics. It’s always been about politics,” said Issa, R-Calif. “If you work at the Salvation Army, that’s a green job.”

When Bureau of Labor Statistics Acting Commissioner John Galvin balked on what qualifies as a green job under the agency definition, Issa responded, “Just answer the question.”

“Does someone who sweeps the floor at a company that makes solar panels -- is that a green job?” Issa asked.

“Yes,” replied Galvin, who also acknowledged that a bike-repair shop clerk, a hybrid-bus driver, any school bus driver and “the guy who puts gas in a school bus” are all defined as green jobs.

So whenever you hear Obama tout his record on "creating green jobs" you just remember he didn't create diddly squat. He reclassified existing jobs.

So the OWS puts their donation money in a bank. This is what got me looking at this bank. I don't understand organizing a month long protest against banks then putting your money in one. But they had to put it somewhere, so OK.

But then I look into it and find this bank is being bailed out by one of the richest investors on Wall Street. You know, the people they hate. Look a little further, I find out they own a million shares in Rupert Murdock's News Corp. Again, somebody else that you know that they hate. Then I find out that the FDIC is looking at them corrupt banking practices, which is partly what has these hippies so upset. The fat cats getting away with crimes.

Yet now they've put over $400,000 of their donations into this bank. Anyone else find this odd?

We're constantly hearing from protesters that we need to "create awareness." A phrase that drives me absolutely nuts because making people aware of something doesn't actually solve anything. But more to my point, I think it's time I create some awareness of my own...

11 September 2010

I Haven't Forgotten

21 June 2010

Just One Reason Why

I could never vote for Sarah Palin for President.

I don't know if you Twitter. I have a twitter account, but I don't use it. I started it before I found Facebook and I like Facebook better. But Sarah Palin Twitters. And with this particular twit, I have to wonder what the hell she was thinking...

Gulf disaster needs divine intervention as man's efforts have been futile. Gulf lawmakers designate today Day of Prayer for solution/miracle

Now, I'm all for prayer if that's what you like. I'm all for asking God for help to figure out a tough problem. If that's what you want to do, go for it.

But when you're a politician, very vocal with your opinions about the failures of the current administration, don't be so naive as to think posting something like that on your Twitter page is going to do anything but make you look like an idiot.

God is not going to clean up that oil. And that is how it will be spun. As if she's going to count on God to do the work. Her intentions may have been fantastic, but her execution is idiotic. You just can't play at the level if you're going to open yourself up to ridicule that easily.

19 June 2010

And the Dumbest Politician of the Day Goes To...

Lansing -- An introductory TV ad for House Speaker Andy Dillon's gubernatorial campaign that trumpets his support for a "hire Michigan first" bill was produced by a Chicago firm.

The 30-second spot, which cost more than $200,000, began airing statewide Tuesday. It says the Redford Township Democrat "is fighting for a law to hire Michigan workers first." Onscreen are the words: "The Dillon Record: Fighting to Pass the Hire Michigan First Law." The legislation, which would give businesses incentives to hire state workers, has not won final passage in the Legislature.

So, to make an ad, promoting the idea of "Hire Michigan First" this gubanatorial wanna-be goes to a Chicago firm to produce the ad.

As if that's not bad enough...

When asked why the campaign didn't hire a Michigan firm, T.J. Bucholz, a spokesman for the Dillon campaign, noting AKPD helped get Obama elected, said: "There are only a handful of companies that do this kind of work. I'm not aware of one in Michigan with that kind of caliber."

So, hire Michigan first, unless you want high caliber work?

You just can't make that stuff up.

UPDATE: We have a runner up for the award...

I like the sentiment, but I don't think I'd want that guy helping out in a political race.

18 June 2010

Will be back soon.

Ok, the technical issues with the blog have been resolved. It's been a busy period and something had to take a back seat. Unfortunately, it was this. But it's time to get back into the fight. So come back soon for some common sense ramblings of a Jarhead, gone quite mad...

30 January 2010

Avatar. A Movie Review

OK, I saw it and bottom line I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was very entertaining and the imagery, especially in 3D IMAX, was just phenomenal. I was absorbed by the movie and the characters for the most part. There were just a few poorly placed phrases that made it a hair too political. They were just blatant shots at the Bush administration that really cheapened the movie. Because they were cheap shots that were not needed.

First, the bad guy colonel phrasing his battle plan as a "preemptive strike" was not only factually inaccurate, it was, IMO, a swipe at our actions in Iraq. It was not a preemptive attack. It was just an attack. The lame attempt to draw a parallel to the actions being taken on this futuristic planet and our actions in Iraq was just cheap and frankly, it was lazy writing.

Secondly, they actually used the phrase "shock and awe" in describing what what the colonel had planned. Again, cheap and lazy writing. It's hard for me to imagine a film with a budget as big as this could not come up with some better writing. Or at least more original. Of course, the entire story isn't that creative writing wise, other than the characters names and dialect. It's Dances With Wolves except that it didn't take place after the Civil War, it takes place on a distant planet. Yes, the entire story line is based on an anti-capitalism and therefore and anti-American theme, but it you're not bogged down by it. There's enough going on in the movie that it becomes secondary.

Also, I did not like the fact that they used Marines in this film. Granted, the hero of the film is a Marine, and he was the only character I saw sporting the Eagle Globe and Anchor emblem of the Marine Corps. So, I guess it evens out.

And really, those are the only things I did not like about the film. A small list given it's 2 and half hour run time.

Now, the special effects, the creatures, the scenery of the planet, all top notch. There were a couple of scenes that in 3D, it was absolutely mind boggling. And it is definitely worth putting away your politics for an evening and going to see.

I gotta say what hit me during the movie was the same feeling I had as an 8 year old boy going to see Star Wars. This movie was a voyage to another world, just as Star Wars was in 1977. This is definitely the Star Wars of today. It's probably the first time I've ever felt like I'm living in 2010 because the special effects were that good.

It was odd getting back into my truck, looking at my GPS and thinking it seems like I've just went from 2010 back to the 50s. Since I got it, I thought my GPS was very cool and somewhat futuristic. Now it almost seems like an 8-track player because I feel like I got an in-depth look at what life was supposed to be like in 2010, from a technology standpoint.